PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The FCC must try to give every State at least one VHF commercial TV channel when that is technically possible. If a current VHF commercial TV licensee says it will move its channel to a community in a State that has no VHF channel, the FCC must reassign that channel and give that licensee a license for up to 5 years. If the owner of an AM daytime-only station in a community of more than 100,000 people (where there is no local full-time aural station and the community lies inside a Class I station primary service area) asks to go full-time, the FCC must, when technically possible, make sure the station can put its main signal over the entire community 24 hours a day.

Title 47, §331

Telegraphs, Telephones, and Radiotelegraphs, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Very high frequency stations

It shall be the policy of the Federal Communications Commission to allocate channels for very high frequency commercial television broadcasting in a manner which ensures that not less than one such channel shall be allocated to each State, if technically feasible. In any case in which licensee of a very high frequency commercial television broadcast station notifies the Commission to the effect that such licensee will agree to the reallocation of its channel to a community within a State in which there is allocated no very high frequency commercial television broadcast channel at the time such notification, the Commission shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, order such reallocation and issue a license to such licensee for that purpose pursuant to such notification for a term of not to exceed 5 years as provided in section 307(d) of this title.

(b)AM radio stations

It shall be the policy of the Commission, in any case in which the licensee of an existing AM daytime-only station located in a community with a population of more than 100,000 persons that lacks a local full-time aural station licensed to that community and that is located within a Class I station primary service area notifies the Commission that such licensee seeks to provide full-time service, to ensure that such a licensee is able to place a principal community contour signal over its entire community of license 24 hours a day, if technically feasible.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Subsec. (d) of section 307 of this title, referred to in subsec. (a), was redesignated subsec. (c) of section 307 by Pub. L. 97–259, title I, § 112(a), Sept. 13, 1982, 96 Stat. 1093. Codification Another section 331 of act June 19, 1934 was renumbered section 332 and is classified to section 332 of this title.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 331, act June 19, 1934, ch. 652, title III, § 331, as added Sept. 14, 1973, Pub. L. 93–107, § 1, 87 Stat. 350, related to broadcasting of games of professional sports clubs, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 93–107, § 2, Sept. 14, 1973, 87 Stat. 351, effective Dec. 31, 1975.

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–141 struck out at end: “The Commission shall report to the appropriate committees of Congress within 30 days after December 20, 1991, on how it intends to meet this policy goal.” 1994—Pub. L. 103–414 amended section catchline generally. 1991—Pub. L. 102–243 inserted “and AM radio stations” in section catchline, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and inserted heading, and added subsec. (b).

§331 Very High Frequency Stations and Am Radio Stations